Teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteous web design.

Essential Unix FAQ

July 19, 2002by meandean

Its Friday, so one thing useful and two things fun – I’ll leave it to you figure out which is which:

I talk alot about Linux here, not because I’m some Bill Gate’s hating, anti-Microsoft Zealot, there are enough of those around already. Fact is, I’ve made a nice living writing code for my day job on various DOS and Windows-based systems. Though I still refuse to install XP I just don’t like the idea of having to “report in …” But I digress.

I mention Linux muchly because it is the platform many of us use and abuse for our web sites. That and it is at least 35% geekier than any other operating system
out there. Which makes knowing it an essential skill if you really want to take control of your web site. Problem is that as I get older, I sometimes forget the command-line syntax. I’m fortunate to have a unix-chix wife who fills in most of the blanks, but there are times I’m embarassed to ask or admit I’m lost. Instead I’d rather drive around and find it the hard way. It’s a guy thing.

So late the other night while the spousal unit was asleep, I got stuck and didn’t want to wake anyone by going upstairs to rattle through the umpteem million computer books holding up a corner of our house. What I really needed was a cheat sheet – I found one – courtesy of the good folks at the Montana State University – Bozeman. What they’re doing with UNIX up in Montana only our Lord knows. I’m just grateful to have it handy.